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unmerged(247551)

First Lieutenant
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Jan 7, 2011
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  • Darkest Hour
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After playing my first multiplayer match I have decided to seize the opportunity and also write my first AAR. This AAR will detail the Guns of January multiplayer match, which is played every Sunday from 19:00-22:00 GMT.
If you would like to join or find out more about it, feel free to pay a visit to the board:
http://z7.invisionfree.com/Blut_und_Eisen

First some background information:

Roster:

GB: Linny
France: The General
Austria: Samilou
Prussia: Collude
Russia: Andri, Pallen
Ottoman Empire: Naselus
US: Antares, EsTmF
Mexico: Beg_Birdal
Netherlands: Woads
Japan: Gam3rBlue, Cainrae
Spain: jaflores
Sardinia Piedmont: Caglioxtro
Brazil: LeCare
Siam: Gaius Marius
Sweden: Prussian Fellow
Portugal: CubeJackal

Mod:

The game uses the 2.3.8 PDM mod.

So with this being said, I hope you enjoy and give feedback, the first update will come as soon as I manage to upload the pictures.
 
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The Brazilian ministry of education and Sao Paulo university proudly present the first edition of its new World History magazine. This magazine will attempt to objectively shed light on the difficult issues of our time by presenting them from different academic viewpoints while memory and debatte are still fresh. The first edition will cover the years 1836 up to 1838 and especially focus on the still unresolved Brunei war.


Edition one of the World History Magazine:
The 1836-1838 Brunei War (also referred to as "la guerre de genocide angleterre")

BruneiwarBrunei-1.jpg

Brunei: Is it worth all the upheaval?

After the crushing defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo and the subsequent Vienna conference, which aimed to create a peaceful balance of power, Europe entered the 1830's assured that the spectre of war had been banished from it. No empire wanted another long series of bloody battles and so agreed to meticolously divide the world into spheres of influences diplomatically. While success was in no way guaranteed - especially with mounting Ottoman and Brazilian ambitions - the pen did seem mightier than the sword and compromise was reached in practically all areas of concern. Everyone felt safe while the world entered an age of reconstruction.

But it would not be. After only a few weeks Britain and France were once again at war over the now notorious - but previously little known - area of Brunei. Why was there no peace in our times? There are five promising historical interpretations.

The orthodox view: The orthodox view was first written down only days after the war began and it is mainly promoted by the University of Cambride. It asserts that solely France is to blame for the conflict. They argue that by guaranteeing Siamese independence Britain has made it clear to the world that it will not tolerate agression in the area. They further assert that France has never discussed the issue of Brunei with the UK but rather unanimously declared war in an obvious attempt to challenge British influence and therefore made war inevitable since Britain can not appease warmongers. They interpret the UK as being a "beacon of world stability" that must defend the order established in Waterloo and Vienna as any action against this order will set of a "domino effect" resulting in another Napoleonic war. They therefore conclude that the UK was fully justified in its declaration of war and that any action against France is just and neccessary.

The revisionist view: the revisionist view, which is mainly championed by the Imperial University of Paris, completely disagrees with the orthodox view. It asserts that the UK is to blame for the war and that France simply fell victim to UK imperialism. They state that Britain acts not in the interest of world stability but rather uses the keeping of stability as an excuse to expand its power. The revisionists also argue that UK's allies are "monolithic", meaning that all of Siam's actions were directly ordered from London. They therefore assert that the war was engineered by Britain from the very beginning by luring France into a trap by staying ambiguous over the position of Brunei whilst ordering Siam to intervene in any war in Brunei. This scheme provided the UK with a causus belli against France and made the UK seem like a keeper of peace although the UK's only desire was to finally get a chance to smash France's colonial ambitions. In this respect, the revisionists go on to say that the guaranteeing of Siamese independence was also only a tool in this scheme and had nothing to do with honourable intentions. Taking this into account the revisionists also write that negotiating with Britain would have been pointless anyways as that would have been like inviting them to assert Hegemony over the world.They further conclude that France should not sign any Peace Treaty but rather all powers should join to contain British influence.

BruneiwarBlockade-1.jpg

The British Blockade: Genocidal Warmongering or just self-defense?

The post-revisionist view: the post-revisionist view accepts many arguments proposed by the revisionists with only one significant difference, namely that it blames Siam instead of the UK for the war. They agree with the revisionists that the situation in Brunei was vague and that France was breaking no agreement when attacking it. They therefore say that France, as colonial power, had every right to take Brunei, in acordance with the law "first come, first serve". However, they point out that it is unlikely that the UK kept the issue of Brunei intentionally vague as several British peace offers in the beginning of the war seem to disprove the possibility of a "British scheme". Rather they concentrate on the role of Siam during the crisis. They argue that Siam's alliance with Brunei was in no way "set in stone" as it was only weeks old. Therefore Siam had no obligation to honour the alliance and, being an uncivilized nation, should have accepted French hegemony over Brunei as France was not directly threatening Siam. However, according to the post-revisionists, the Siamese government consciously ignored this option, knowing that Britain would defend it. They therefore entered the war and, through the rules of honour, forced the UK to enter the war too. For Siam this was a win-win situation and they carefully exploited it even though it meant a huge death toll. The post-revisionists conclude that Siam is to blame for all deaths in the war and France and the UK should unite to partition it.

BruneiwarSiam-1.jpg

Siam: innocent victim or evil mastermind?

The Linz School: The Linz school believes that the war was caused by secret Ottoman diplomatic maneuvering and false flag operations with the goal of diverting world attention away from the Ottoman invasion of Serbia. However, besides the fact that the Ottoman Empire guaranteed Siamese independence there is little proof for this view yet it still is immensely popular in some areas of Austria, Serbia and Russia. Critics hold against this view that it simply is an academic cover up for the failure of the Austrian Army Intelligence in predicting the Ottoman invasion.

BruneiwarSerbia-1.jpg

Ottoman troops in Serbia: Was the timing coincidental?

The Sao Paulo opinion: The university of Sao Paulo believes that none of the above views are correct but that they all contain a little truth. It seems that no one can really be blamed for the war but rather that the war was an outcome of a failure in communication. Siam believed that the guarantee of its ndependence was equivalent to a guarantee for its newly won ally Brunei. France, on the other hand, believed the opposite was true or possibly was not even aware of the Siam-Brunei alliance and therefore saw no problem with invading, especially since the UK made no official statements regarding Brunei. Siam, however, seemed to have interpreted the invasion of Brunei as part of a longer French campaign to acquire Siam and, feeling threatened, called for the UK to help. The UK was taken by surprise, since it believed colonial matters were settled already, and therefore saw France's actions as warmongering and, being aware of its delicate position of power in the world, decided to act immidiately by imposing a Blockade. France was now taken by surprise, as it still believed the matter of Brunei was clear, and interpreted British actions as warmongering. To counter this, France called on its Russian ally, fearing all-out war with Britain. Britain, by then, had however already realised that French intentions were not warmongering directed against Britain and decided to lift its blockade. Yet at the same time the Russian navy appeared on the scene and, fearing to lose its naval superiority and subsequent invasion, Britain saw itself forced to continue the Blockade. The result was a bloody stalemate in which neither side could back down. From all of this we can conclude that no one is to blame and that white peace is the best option. Further the university of Sao Paulo urges all Nations from now on to announce colonial wars at least one week before actually commencing military action in order to avoid any more confusion.


This was the first edition of World History by the University of Sao Paulo. We hope that it was an enjoyable and informative read and we hope that we managed to present the matter from all view points. Lastly we encourage all readers to give us their view on the crisis and any other feedback.
 
Other Issues of 1838: The United States Bankruptcy and the Haiti fiasco

Besides the all-dominating war of Brunei there were also other significant events happening throughout the world.

US Bankruptcy:
One of these events - which all seem somewhat comical compared to the bloody war raging in Europe - was the surprising Bankruptcy of the United States. Since the inception of the Union, the United States had always been in great support of Free Trade and economic liberalism. It was argued that only these policies could ensure efficient use of the World's ressources and wealth for everyone. And indeed, the US swiftly became an industrial powerhouse mainly because of these policies. But then in 1838 the American economy suddenly collapsed. Had free trade failed?
The answer is no. After thorough investigation by the Sao Paulo institute of economics it was found out that mainly the United States Treasury is to blame as it failed to notice the soaring debt and therefore made it impossible for the government to raise taxes in time. When confronted with these allegations the Secretary of the Treasury only responded that he was at the time "out of synch" with his environment. At first it was believed that being "out of synch" is a new psychological disorder, however it was later deduced that he probably just was very drunk.


The Haiti fiasco:
Another very confusing event was the attempted Spanish invasion of Haiti. The Spanish government was sure that Haiti would be no enemy to its superior army and dispatched only a small amount of troops to the island. The troops were led by an energetic and renown general, a man the Spanish government had trusted for years. The General assured them that victory would be there "in only three weeks" and so they did not hesitate to declare war. And soon it seemed like the gamble had worked as the General sent the - now notorious - "Total victory" Letter in which he claimed that already "half of Haiti was under the authority of the Spanish flag". The Spanish government was relieved and already eagerly awaiting an Haitian envoy who would sign the terms of surrender.
However, no Haitian envoy came. After several weeks without recieving news from the General, the Spanish government became uneasy and sent a depeche to the local army division in Cuba to order them to find out what happened. Three days later the devastating message of "Total Defeat" arrived in Madrid. An informant within the Spanish court later told us that day was the first time that he saw the entire royal family cry, however this information has not been verified.
Apparently, the so trusted General had decided to change sides and himself take control of the state of Haiti. His troops willingly joined him and, according to another informant, not even one soldier objected to joining the Haitian cause. What makes the situation even worse is that a similar event occured at the same time in Morocco.
It is clear that something is going in a terribly wrong direction inside Spain's armed forces. Regardless if one blames a lack of discipline or the horrible living conditions within the Spanish army, it is clear to everyone that Spain's Armed Forces need significant reform if they ever want to score a victory again.
For the time being, however, a high ranking official of the Brazilian Army has told us that Brazil is offering military help to its fellow signatory of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro and is planning to crush the Haitian rebellion if it gets access to the necessary transport Ships.
 
It didn't take long for the Concert of Europe to fall apart here, did it? :p

Definitely liking it so far, and I'll be following!
 
What actually happened in Haiti?
 
Yep, deam OOS rehost screwed my armies, basically they turned Haitian!!!
We rehosted twice and the 2 times before rehost, I had the Island occupied, with a sige in the capital with my army, then in the rehost, the Island was not occupied and Haiti had 12k man in Pourt ou Prince, the ones were Spanish before :). Something similar is happening in Morocco.
 
Edition two of the World Hstory magazine
The course of the Brunei War and the London Peace Treaty of 1836

After roughly two years of fighting the Brunei war is now finally over with the signing of the London Peace Treaty. The moment the Treaty was signed by France – which took considerable lobbying by all great powers – a sigh of relief went through the World. The order within Europe was restored, the Balance of Power was rebuilt and the people had been saved from another Napoleonic war. Or so it seems.

This special edition of the World History magazine will take at the closer look at the newest British attempt to pacify the world. We will try to find out what the merits of this document are, where it fails and what consequences such failures could have. We will further try to deduce if the Treaty really will put an end to war or if it will turn out to be a “definitive Treaty of peace”, like the Treaty of Amiens which by definition was not definite at all. Lastly we will attempt to analyse if the treaty is just or if it is a dictate that marks the criminal end to a criminal war.

Before we however go into the deep analysis, we shall first take a quick look on the war itself. The Brunei war was, as the name suggests, caused mainly due to a territorial conflict over the uncivilized state of Brunei in South-East Asia. The war was fought between the coalition, which included Brunei, Siam, the Netherlands, Prussia, the Ottoman Empire and was lead by the United Kingdom, and the French Pact which consisted of France and Russia. Yet, contrary to what one might expect, the bulk of the fighting actually occurred in the North Sea. While France did attempt to take Brunei, it only managed to dispatch a 9000 men strong force before Britain’s navy cut of all connections between France and the world by imposing a total blockade. After this moment the war turned into a stalemate with Britain slowly starving a paralysed France. For a short moment, however, the French regained hope when Russia joined the war and, in a formidably concealed move, relocated its Navy to France. But, even united with their allies, the French fleet was no match for the Royal Navy and, severely beaten in the decisive Battle of Brest, soon seized to be an effective fighting force altogether. The war turned even more in the coalition’s favour when Prussia joined the war as it meant that France was now also threatened on land. Increasingly surrounded, famished by the Blockade and without any further Aces up its sleeve, France soon had to accept the humiliation of defeat.

Statistics1.png

General statistics of the war

Statistics2.png

Statistics showing France's condition before and after the war

The tables above give an overview of the course and results of the war. One thing that immediately strikes the eye when analysing these statistics is the one-sidedness of the conflict. France could secure not a single real victory against the coalition and incurred economic damage that would need years to repair. The UK, on the other hand, took on two great powers with ease and suffered not a single civilian casualty. This goes to show that Britain’s position as the World’s leading power is currently not debateable. Further it proves that Sea power – despite the predictions of the Heartland theory – remains one of the most important tools in Geopolitics, equally as important as Land power. Consequently, all Nations that rely mainly on traditional Armies to project their might, such as Russia, Prussia, Austria and China, will have to rethink their strategies if they plan to come into conflict with the United Kingdom.

The London Peace Treaty of 1838

After two years of war, France clearly was beaten. With the odds against it, the population starving and without a light at the end of the Tunnel, the French government sued for Peace. The British, eager to capitalise on their victory, immediately demanded that the peace conference be held in London, being very well aware that the French could do nothing about it. Not surprisingly, the resulting Treaty is as British as its origin. It is one-sided, it is controversial and it seems to be more of a behavioural guideline for the entire world than just a peace accord. In essence it is attempt two for an ordered Europe. Will it work this time? Let us look at both sides:

LondonTreaty.png

The London Treaty

How it could work: Since the beginning of the Conference the sole idea of the London Treaty has already been criticised. One Mexican observer summed up the arguments against it when he said that it only was “an armistice for 20 years”. But these critics fail to acknowledge the power which is behind the Treaty: the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is currently so strong and its enemies so feeble, that a violation of the Treaty simply is out of the question. The Royal Navy rules the seas and no power will be able to challenge this hegemony for at least the next 30 years. The World is on the verge of a Pax Britannica, a time of stability ensured by the might of the Crown. What failed in Vienna has been repaired by the might of London and however fast French revanchism grows, it will never be able to cross the Channel.

Why it could fail: On one hand it is true that the British signature is a mighty guarantee. But on the other hand even if the seal of the crown cannot control the winds of change that are sweeping through the World. For your convenience we have made a short list which details all of these new broad forces:

French revanchism: A case can be made that, even though France is beaten now, it will soon resurge as stronger and more militaristic power which, at least on the continent, will be a threat to all. In the statistics above we can see that the militaristic sentiment in the French population has increased by staggering 250.7%, which means that now more than 17.3%, or roughly 1.5 million French men, are in support of war for “la patrie”. These people will be susceptible to any madman who promises revenge and therefore are a considerable threat to the peace. In this respect it was very wise of the British to attach a date to the name of the Treaty as Europe might be in for quite some more London treaties. However, it has to be noted that 11.8%, or roughly 1 million men, have been so appalled by the war that they became pacifists and this group will surely attempt to counter-balance the warmongers.​

The rise of Germany: One of the interesting things about the Treaty of London is its inclusion of a clause which justifies the creation of a North and a South German federation. This is despite the fact that Austria was hardly involved in the war. Seen from this angle it becomes clear that this clause is nothing more than an acknowledgement of Prussian power. Yet while the Treaty acknowledges it, it is unlikely that it will manage to contain it. With France beaten and Austria not looking too great either the path to a complete German unification is open and Prussia – that is for sure – will take it. And once it is there, only the UK will be able to stop it. But that would bear the risk of losing their strongest ally.
The economic consequences of the peace (and the war): One of the most controversial chapters of the Peace treaty is its economic consequences. A case can certainly be made that France is on the verge of economic collapse. It has lost more 2.7% of its male population, roughly 240,000 people (and that is a low estimate), its tax revenue has decreased by 33.8%, its cash reserves have plummeted by 36.4% and it currently has to support its industry with 1214.8 pounds per day. Further, as outlined in clause 2 of the treaty, France will lose its common market with Belgium. The result of this is that France has not only lost quite a bit of its economic potential but it also lacks the funds necessary to restart the economy. Accordingly it seems likely that France will be stuck in a deflationary gap for quite a while, facing low growth and high unemployment. This will not only mean that France will fall back behind the other great powers but it will create a demand slump for the entire world as for quite some time the French population will probably be unable to afford expensive goods.
However, equally one could argue that France’s problems are the world’s opportunities. With France in trouble, powers like the UK, the US and Prussia will have one competitor less to fear and therefore be able to increase their own market share. Also smaller nations and their companies, who previously have been forced into bankruptcy due to lower French prices, might now get a chance to expand. Yet, such development would also not be favourable for the maintenance of the current Balance of Power​

The Russian question: Russia was the only nation involved in the war which was not invited to London. This has several reasons. For one, the old Tsar suddenly died and it took some time until a new administration was formed. Further the peace treaty hardly affects Russia at the moment and the British might deem it better to simply sign a white peace with the new Tsar once his power is ensured. However, it could equally be that Britain and Prussia are planning to dismantle the Russian monarchy altogether, in order to eliminate one more potential competitor for World Power. If this is the case then the world must get ready for a war which will make the Brunei war seem like a skirmish.
 
Congratulations, LeCare for winning the WritAAR of the Week Award for your writing, form and style of presentation in this AAR.

Once again, Congratulations!
 
Congratulations. A well deserved award and a very well-constructed start to this AAR.
 
First of all, thank you very much guys, I am really happy that this turned out to be so popular.

I am already working on the next update, which, if things work as I want them, will be up tommorow. It will be an update on the economy and since this is kind of what I do in RL, it will probably be very detailed and very number heavy. So if u dont appreciate numbers so much u can skip it without missing much.

However, be sure not to miss my saturday update which will link Burma, China, drug trade and continued Spanish military difficulties.

Once again, thanks
 
The World Economy: 1836-1842

Metal clashing against metal. Fire devouring tons of coal. Farmers abandoning their fields in the quest for fortune. Cities exploding with plurality and poverty. Smoke darkening the skies. These are not scenes of a war. No, these are scenes of a revolution... an industrial revolution! All over the world factories are being built to convert the fruit of the earth into the products desired by men. The course of history has changed... forever

In this edition of the World History magazine we will analyse how the economy has developed over the last six years and we will try to not only predict what will happen in the future but we will also attempt to find out which Great Powers actually offer a decent standard of living for thir subjects.

(Note. In the current issue the UK, France, Prussia and Austria will be analysed. Data on the USA could not be gathered due to continuing border disputes with Mexico)

UK.png

Economic analysis of the United Kingdom: Is it actually a good place to live in?

The statistics show that the UK is still undisputedly the biggest economic power on earth. No other nation can rival its immense GDP, Population and cash reserves.
However, the quality of life in the UK is, despite the 3 passed social reforms, far below potential, as shown by the PDI values. The per capita GDP is especially low due to the general poverty in India and the Literacy rate is absolutely terrible for a Great Power. Considering that the masses of the world are becoming more and more conscious of their rights, this should be a worrying development for the crown.
Further the UK’s growth rates are not very promising. The Industry score has only increased by 11.8%, which is minimal compared to other great powers. If the Crown refrains from acting, France may soon overtake the UK as wealthiest nation of the earth.

France.png

France: A few years after the Brunei war rivalling the UK again?

While the French population still suffers from the aftermath of the Brunei war, the French economy has achieved a startling recovery. It boasts now more than 5 times as many factories as it had in 1836 and its industry score has doubled. According to the estimation of the economics department France will overtake the UK as leading industrialized nation in two years, assuming ceterus paribus.
Further, the French standard of living is unsurpassed in Europe. While no social reforms have been passed, the per capita income of the French is one of the highest of the world.

Austria.png

Austria: the economic wunderkind of Europe?

Austria has gone through a economic miracle in the last few years. It managed to increase its industry score by incredible 388.46%, making the traditionally agricultural country into an Industrial powerhouse that outclasses even its archenemy Prussia.
However, one should not be deceived by these figures. Growth and Development are not the same. The Habsburg state is plagued by inequality and, while it’s German areas are thriving, most ethnicities of the Empire live in extreme poverty. This is shown by the extremely low PDI values and the abysmally low literacy rate. The result of this is mass emigration of those who can afford it and growing rage of the ones left behind.

Prussia.png

Prussia: On the path towards a unified Germany?

Prussia is an interesting case. On one hand Prussia’s growth was rather disappointing, especially if compared to the skyrocketing Austrian industry. On the other hand Prussia has managed to mobilize all its diplomatic and military resources and is now just one annexation away from uniting all of North Germany. The result would be quite a super state which immediately would be able to catch up with Austria economically whilst boasting a military and standard of living that easily rivals that of France. And with that a unified Germany would become a real possibility...
 
Great AAR! II love the graphs and the fact that's it's written as articles in World History Magazine.

Can't wait to see the stats for the USA! (I assume they have a player, and the war will end with significant territorial gain :D).
 
Great AAR! II love the graphs and the fact that's it's written as articles in World History Magazine.

Can't wait to see the stats for the USA! (I assume they have a player, and the war will end with significant territorial gain :D).

They have a player but the irony is its not a war... at least not yet...

They wanted to do a diplomatic exchange of land but somehow the US understood it includes Nevada while Mexico thought it only is texas... So there is currently a little crisis

Edit: Yippie 1000 views
 
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They have a player but the irony is its not a war... at least not yet...

They wanted to do a diplomatic exchange of land but somehow the US understood it includes Nevada while Mexico thought it only is texas... So there is currently a little crisis

Edit: Yippie 1000 views

Which brings me to the question of does Mexico have a player? If it does, I suggest they not mess with the USA, and simply move suth to compensate.
 
Which brings me to the question of does Mexico have a player? If it does, I suggest they not mess with the USA, and simply move suth to compensate.

Well that was the plan. But now he is a bit frustrated I guess... And if it is war, the question is if Europe will get involved (or Brazil :D)
 
Well that was the plan. But now he is a bit frustrated I guess... And if it is war, the question is if Europe will get involved (or Brazil :D)

Frustrated? It's simply a matter of making North America's borders cleaner. :D